How Does a Thermal Printer Work

Introduction

A thermal printer is one of the most common printing devices that we interact with in our daily endeavors. They are some of the topnotch printers that are currently available. Whether in our workplaces or stores, these indispensable printers come in handy. The reason for their wide popularity is the fact that they are highly versatile and convenient to use. They are simple to use and can be of help to virtually everyone. Thermal printers are also commonly referred to as direct thermal printers. They should in no way be confused with thermal transfer printing.

History

Before the thermal printer was made, the main mode of printing that was mostly used was the dot matrix printers. They were not a good option since the documents produced from these type of printers was not very presentable. The thermal printers were made because they had clearer images that the previous ones. They were also lighter and easy to use. Other than that, latter inventions improved it such that it could produce documents with more than one color i.e. black/blue or black/red.

Features

These printers use the technique of selective heating to produce images. This is done using a special type of paper known as thermal paper. There are various components of a thermal printer that allows them to perform its functions effectively. These are. controller boards, thermal head, spring and a platen. These are the major components that synchronize and work in tandem to deliver impeccable results. The thermal print head is the part of the thermal printer that generates heat and directs it on the paper.

Where the heat is directed, a black image is printed. However if you need an additional color, you can apply different temperatures of heat. A high temperature makes the thermal paper turn black while low temperatures results into other color. The paten in the thermal printer feeds thermo-sensitive paper that is to be printed while the spring applies pressure on the thermal head. The pressure on the thermal head ensures that it is in contact with the paper.

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